A few months ago we started sponsoring a little girl from Lebanon. After I received her information I looked into the school she attends. I came across one of the ways they raise money for the school. They sell an Irish and Lebanese cookbook! All the proceeds go directly to the school.

One of my favorite things in the whole world is Baba Ghanouj. You can imagine my excitement to find a recipe for it in the cookbook I purchased. I adapted it a little bit. I have since made it twice, both times to rave reviews.

1 large eggplant

1/4 cup lemon juice

5 tablespoons tahini

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

sweet paprika

olive oil

fresh finely chopped parsley.

Preheat oven to 400

Clean off the green leaves of the eggplant, but leave the stem on. Once the oven is heated, place the whole eggplant on a parchment paper lined baking pan. Also place the whole peeled garlic on the pan. Cook the eggplant until it is tender. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the eggplant. Keep an eye on the garlic pieces. When they are roasted and started turning brown, remove and set aside.

Once the eggplant is tender, remove from the oven. Carefully peel the skin off the eggplant. You can allow it to cool for a few minutes first, it may be easier to work with that way. Scoop out the inside of the eggplant. Add it to your Vitamix or food processor along with the garlic. Blend. Slowly and alternately add the lemon juice, tahini, and sea salt. Blend until it becomes thick and creamy.

Pour/scoop the Baba Ghanouj into a bowl. Use an olive oil sprayer to spray some olive oil on the top. You can have fun with it and make a pretty design if you want. Then sprinkle a bit of sweet paprika to taste/aesthetic. Top that off with a sprinkle of parsley.

Serve with pita or pita chips. You could also serve with baby carrots. I have tried it all three ways. With the carrots is tasty but the pita bread/chips are even tastier! Such is life 😉